The In-Laws
by pinkish-red hearts
Summary: Day 2 of Hayffie Week: The Kids It was supposed to be a meeting of families for Katniss and Peeta. But when they heard gruff cursing and high-pitched shrieks from where Peeta's mother went, they discovered new things about their family that they never knew before.


**Author's Note: This is my Hayffie week submission for "The Kids". This is a modern AU that was inspired by a long one shot I haven't even finished (yet.. or you know, I don't even know if I will finish it XD). It's extremely cheesy but I tried to keep them in character. XD So anyway, enjoy. :)**

Effie fussed over her son's hair for the nth time.

"Mother, please," Peeta groaned.

"Darling, don't you want to look perfect for your beloved and her family?" Effie hummed as she combed through Peeta's blond hair with her fingers.

"Mother, mother," he lightly slapped his mother's hand away. "I told you, Katniss doesn't care about any of that stuff. I could show up in my boxers and she would be fine with it,"

He could hear her mother gasp.

"That's-"

Peeta chuckled. "I'm kidding, mother. This suit is perfect. Katniss will have my head if I show up in those. She even looks away when I'm shirtless,"

Effie muttered in relief about the girl having common decency and propriety, before fixing the imaginary creases on her blue sequin dress.

"Mother, stop worrying, we'll be-"

They heard the doorbell ring. Effie checked herself in the mirror and smoothed down the top of her blonde hair for the last time while her son just rolled his eyes at her and nudged her away from the mirror. Peeta opened the door and his blue eyes glinted. Before him stood his fiancée out of her usual training garb and into a simple red dress. Her hair is styled in an intricate braid, and her usual fierce grey eyes were like shy molten lead.

"Oh hello, Katniss," Effie came forward and kissed the girl's cheeks. "You didn't tell me you were going alone. I should've asked the chauffer to have you picked up,"

Annoyance flashed at Katniss' face. Effie almost thought she had given offense somehow, but then, the girl spoke.

"Dad was supposed to pick me up an hour ago but when I called him, he said he wasn't ready yet. Typical. I'm really sorry, Mrs. Mellark,"

"Please dear. Call me, Effie. I'm divorced anyway, so that's not my last name anymore," She allowed sadness to shadow her features for a moment before giving off her standard welcoming grin and invited her in. Effie and Peeta led Katniss to their dining area. Although their house was fairly average, the interiors made it as if they were in a millionaire's mansion. The walls were a rich crimson with golden colored embellishments. The tables and chairs were deep brown. Mahogany, Katniss guessed. They all took a seat and Katniss saw one empty seat.

"This looks like my dad isn't coming," she snorted, pointing at the empty spot.

"He isn't?" It took a while for Effie to understand. "Oh you mean only one set of wares is empty. Oh no, Peeta's father isn't coming,"

"Why?" she asked.

"Oh, he's busy with the business, as usual," Effie replied in such a harsh tone that a lady, such as herself would seldom use. The couple's separate businesses was one of the reasons of the split. Another had been her ex-husband cheating on her with an employee of his, a loud mouthed woman who spat the harshest of things. No one is sure what they saw in each other but Effie didn't feel too sad to end their more than ten year marriage. She had been upset about the mistress, yes, but didn't take long for her to get over it. Luckily, Peeta was a sweetheart even as a youth and didn't think too badly about them even though he was terribly saddened over his parents' separation.

"Oh, okay," was all Katniss could muster. Effie was a little disappointed that her soon-to-be daughter-in-law wasn't a talkative one. She gave her son a confused look and he nodded in understanding.

"So, Katniss, why don't you tell mother about your job as a wildlife survival trainer?"

Katniss seemed to talk a little more, telling her the briefest things about her job, position, what she does, how much it pays, etc. Effie wasn't really interested in it to be frank, but as a mother-in-law and a good host, she listened attentively anyway.

The sound of the doorbell felt like a relief. Effie offered to get the door and let Peeta stay with his girlfriend.

The two heard the door open; followed by the sound of gruff cursing and incoherent shrieks. Peeta and Katniss bolted to the main door.

"Nearly thirty years and you finally show your face?!" Effie seethed at a clean-scruffy dark-haired man glaring at her from the door.

"Show my-" the man looked almost as hysterical as she is. He ran a hand through his hair- a familiar dark color flecked with some gray, "Woman, how the hell was I supposed to know you lived here? I was only looking for the house of my daughter's fiancé,"

"Daughter-"

Effie took a good look at his face before she turned to the direction of the dining area, finding Katniss and Peeta standing there with confused looks. Her gaze seemed to study Katniss intently.

"Dad?" Katniss squeaked in horror.

The man looked to the girl.

"Sweetheart?"

"Your last name is Abernathy?" Effie asked Katniss.

"Yes, mother. I thought I told you," Peeta said. Effie felt a twinge of guilt rise within her. When his son had told her the name, she was busy with a huge project at the firm and she was only able to say Katniss before dropping her phone and she pretended to hear the words she hadn't heard.

"You two know each other?" Katniss asked her father.

"Yeah," They both said at the same time. Katniss still had a baffled face while Peeta could tell there was more to the story.

"Why don't we all just… talk about this over dinner," Peeta suggested and they all made their way to the dining room.

"Fancy place you got here, sparkles,"

Effie stiffened at that nickname. She was wearing sequins tonight, too. Just her luck.

"Thank you, Haymitch. I see your taste in decoration improved in your long years,"

Haymitch snorted. "Barely a compliment,"

"Close enough but I don't expect anything but crass from you," Effie commented coolly.

"Mother," "Dad," the engaged couple groaned in unison.

"Don't worry children," Effie assured.

"This was normal between us," Haymitch added.

Dinner was an awkward affair. Mostly to Katniss and Peeta, Effie was going on and on about this or that, with Haymitch making commentary just to spite her. Then they'd end up bickering. Katniss and Peeta arranged this meeting to get to know each other's family. Clearly, their family knew more about each other while they didn't. Peeta was slightly irritated.

"You better explain what's going on here," Peeta interjected in the middle of their dispute, sharper than he wanted to be.

"We were childhood friends actually," Haymitch spoke. "Saved her sparkly pencil and sparkly ass from a bunch of bullies and she fell head over heels for me,"

Effie glared at Haymitch. "It was only my pencil, and I clearly remember that you wouldn't save me if I had an encounter with them," she stopped for a bit, "And I was NOT head over heels for you. You were an annoying preschooler who relied on me a lot to get tasks done,"

"Please," Haymitch argued. "Why did you stick around if I was so incompetent?"

"Charity," she deadpanned.

"You were totally in love with me," Haymitch teased but Effie ignored him.

"So, anyway," she directed to the couple instead. "We were close as kids, up until high school. But I was busier that time- I was student body president you know- so we couldn't see each other that much. And I'm sorry to say dear," she looked at Katniss. "But your father did not make my term any easy,"

Katniss snorted. "No, shit,"

Effie bit back the urge to correct her manners. This was their first meeting after all, and she hadn't been too unpleasant although, quiet. Effie wasn't petty and with Haymitch as a father, she should cut the girl some slack.

"But how come you've never seen each other in over twenty years?" Peeta asked.

Haymitch suddenly became interested in the wall while Effie at her plate. Peeta's face melted into worry.

"We just grew apart," Effie blurted but the words were more for her benefit than Peeta's.

The silence grew uncomfortable, and Effie excused herself from the table. Peeta stood up to follow her mother but Haymitch gave him a look that meant that he'll handle it. When Haymitch fled the room, Peeta looked to Katniss. The girl mirrored his own mixture of a frustrated, puzzled, and concerned expression.

Meanwhile in the balcony, Effie leaned against the railings and gazed at the night sky. She didn't even acknowledge the presence behind her.

"Honey, I'm sorry but I just need a moment to myself,"

"Are you calling me that now?"

Effie jumped at the voice.

"Go away, Haymitch," she squeaked. He didn't say anything until he positioned himself a foot or two away from her.

"I'm sorry,"

"Your daughter is just like you," she mused. "Very laconic in tense situations. I hope she isn't as rude as you are,"

Effie almost thought that she might have offended Haymitch. But all she got was a chuckle.

"Your son is such a pansy,"

Effie sucked in her breath, ready to fire an equal amount of insults.

"I meant it in a good way," Haymitch quickly countered. "He's a good kid. I think he's a good match for my baby girl,"

Effie almost giggled at his rare moments of affection, but she couldn't bring herself to.

"Being a worried father makes you look cute," she said matter-of-factly. All she heard was a 'hmph' and a long silence followed.

"I really am sorry, Effie. After you kissed me- we kissed- that day, I- I didn't know what to do,"

"And the best solution is to ignore me," she sighed. "I suppose I should've tried, too,"

"I had a girlfriend," The words were the same as before, except it was in past tense.

"How could I forget," she spat bitterly.

"And I loved her. I truly did,"

There was a pang of pain in her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes but she didn't let them fall. She didn't want to look like a fool no more.

"I thought Brandon was the one," she told him instead. "He seemed perfect-ambitious but honorable. Yet somehow, something didn't feel right. I just worked it off. But when I found out about Bran's mistress, beneath all those tears, was relief,"

She waited for him to say something.

"Lily was more of a mirror," he began. "She was mostly a female version of me. An emotionally stronger one. But I realized that she couldn't fill this…gap. Though I was never planning for any separation, I felt guilty- still feel guilty- thinking this when she died after having Katniss. I was alone in raising her,"

She finally turned to him and found that his steel eyes meet her blue ones.

"You're very strong for bringing up such a delightful child,"

Haymitch looked unsure of how to take such a complement. So he shrugged. Nonchalance was always his defense mechanism.

"If she'd been ours, she would've been an annoying spoiled brat who wanted to have all the ridiculous trends,"

"If he'd been ours," she replied. "You would've given him a phobia of everything, knowing how sadistic you can get. Peeta is a sweet child,"

Haymitch rolled his eyes. "I'm not-," he stopped himself. "Do you… regret that we married different people?"

"No," Effie replied immediately without hesitance. "Or else we wouldn't find a suitable match for our children. I would definitely not approve of incest,"

Haymitch just laughed. It was deep and natural. And Effie realized how much she missed this.

Suddenly, one of Haymitch's hands held Effie's loosely, while the other rested on her cheek. His face seemed to ask a question. It wondered about them. What will happen now that they are in laws? Effie probably had the same look as well. They barely realized their faces grew closer and closer until they were only a breath apart.

"We should just be here for the children," Effie said, stopping whatever thing they are doing at the moment. "This is about Katniss and Peeta after all. We'll- sort out our feelings once we finish their wedding, okay?"

He nodded in understanding and stepped away from her.

"I guess we should apologize to the kids for worrying them," Haymitch stated, then offered his arm to her. Effie smirked in approval as she slipped hers in it and they slowly walked toward the balcony doors.

"You know, I always thought you were out of my league, Ms. I'm-so-perfect-with-my-good-grades-and-excellent-people-skills-and-never-ending-stubborness," he said as he stopped at the threshold.

Effie gave the most unlady-like snort.

"I know. But I always thought you were insistent to my charms,"

Haymitch shook his head. "With your legs and ass? I must've been blind to be, but I wasn't,"

Both of them laughed as they went back inside the house. Little did they know that Peeta and Katniss were eavesdropping. Before they scrambled as quietly as possible back to the dining room, they both made an unsaid vow to bring back the flame their parents once had.

 **AN: I know this is kind of AU but I love writing AUs. I hope this fitted the theme though.**

 **Alsol, I was only able to make 2 fics for the week since I wasted my week trying to draw and ended up frustrated -_-**

 **Thanks for reading. I appreciate reviews and most especially constructive criticism. THANKS 3**


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